The book might have been repetitive but it did leave me with some interesting ideas, such as:

Sewing human parts together doesn’t rewrite their DNA, so any monster children will be built on normal human DNA.

The context here was the theory that if Victor was clever enough to make a human being, he surely could have created a woman who couldn’t conceive. So, his reason for not making a companion for the monster wasn’t that sound. To which I thought, what was to stop the monster from forcing Victor to make another female — one who WOULD conceive once the former had given in? Or, franken-children, the next time?

If the monster is that brilliant, he should be able to construct a woman himself and then sail off with her in his home-made submarine.

This part is from a chapter that insists that Victor fears the genius of the monster, which is the actual reason behind his refusal to build a franken-woman. After all, the monster was clever enough to teach himself to talk — one might add, in quite lyrical prose!

Then there was a chapter on Frankenfood (GMOs) and how certain scientific progress can be likened to what Victor did, such as genetic engineering:

biotechnologists often select organisms’ features aiming at enhancing their natural beauty

cells’ membranes are destabilized by means of electric shocks (an echo of what breathed life into the Monster?)

In the novel, Mary Shelley insinuates an untoward relationship between Justine and the Baron after the death of Ms. Moritz.

Really? How did I miss that? Did anyone else notice this?

It might be that Victor was changing some parts of his story for Walton when he related his tale.

It does feel surprising how we all just take Victor’s word for what happened. Could he have not been lying? And while we are on that subject, what is the deal with Walton going gaga over him? Isn’t the monster supposed to have a silver tongue? Why is what Victor saying affecting Walton on such an intimate level? What did he do to inspire such loyalty?

On the subject of “rogues”, a part of the philosophical book by Jacques Derrida on how we love alienating others from the general population. Anyone who doesn’t fit is labeled a rogue:

a monster which is foreign, strange and misunderstood are trying to point out that which is other to them represents a threat.

This fits beautifully with the way people have reacted to an influx of Syrian refugees into their countries. Furthermore:

using a twisted logic that says more about him or her than it does about the Other.

This brings me to something that I have been meaning to look into. Transgenders have been looked down upon and denied a voice, rights etc. for centuries. When did society start blaming them for being other? How did being born this way become their fault? I think I might have come across a book about transgender history on Instagram. Worth a revisit, right?

who think they are in the right because they are in the majority have a power and strnegth in numbers and in traditions and habits, giving themselves a sense of authority to judge someone outside of their group.

What do I need to say to that that hasn’t already been said? Maybe this:

it causes a normative, indeed performative, evaluation, a disdainful or threatening insult, an appellation that initiates an inquiry and prepares a prosecution before the law.

We all know what an “inquiry” can do!

a judgment that goes beyond calling someone “wrong”; it shows hatred and ill-intent.

a system of judgment where the monster can never be “good.”

(calling ourselves humans) through language, thus in the very way that is denied to those who are being labeled(otherwise).

creating an enemy for themselves, and in turn become an enemy to someone who already feels threatened.

Brings to mind the many times Islamophobia has resulted in people getting hurt!

In the same way, a foreigner who looks like a native citizen presents a threat that a readily identifiable foreigner does not.

Easy to single out the other when they have beards — or not. I’d also like to mention the Bangladeshi revolution here and the atrocities committed by both sides! Then there is also the Holocaust that is never far from our imagination.

The quotes that stayed with me:

And some funny parts, including:

regularly enchanted by nature, to the point that Clerval goes into aesthetic rapture at least twice a day, when the sun rises and sets.

The penultimate installment in Project Frankenstein was a joy to read. It was relatively short and full of stuff that I find interesting. I am dividing this review into three parts:

1. Here is a Snippet from the book:

2. Then there were these Sciency Bits that I enjoyed ruminating upon:

Cloning other adult mammals reinforced the discovery that nuclear transfer can reset genes contained in specialized cells back to their embryonic state.

It meant that the genetic clock could supposedly be turned back if things didn’t go so well the first time!

It is my content that the northern grasslands would have remained viable…had the great herds of Pleistocene animals remained in place to maintain the landscape.

This occurred to me for the first time. Yes, the Ice Ages may have changed the landscape physically but it also caused the extinction of the grazers and caused changes in a roundabout way.

…(tuna) are warm-blooded, which makes them oddities in the fish world but keeps them toasty…

They are what?! Why are you doing this to me world? I was so happy, thinking all fish are cold-blooded but no! I hate nature!

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

While The Sixth Extinction left me without hope, this book helped me see that we aren’t all bad eggs. Yes, humans have brought the onset of Anthropocene and change environment wherever they go…

We have harvested so many of these large deer, elk, and sheep over the centuries that many species have evolved smaller body and horn sizes. Similarly, fish have adapted to human harvesting by developing thinner bodies capable of sneaking out of nets.

Yet, organizations like ICCAT are keeping track of the number of bluefin tuna that are being pulled out of water annually. The Integrated Ocean Observing System is tagging elephant seals and other swimmers to gather information about the marine environment. Then there is Ocean Tracking Network that has been busy installing underwater listening stations that will pick up on tagged animals. The list of scientists and researchers trying to collect information goes on and on. There is even an attempt to engage the public and increase awareness via animal Facebook profiles. The point is, it took us decades if not more to wreck things. We will need some time to put them back together and it is a pity if nature doesn’t grant us that respite.

3. And a Franken-Bit that I shook an admonitory finger at:

The manufacturers of AquAdvantage salmon think that by producing only sterile female fish, they can keep them from reproducing or passing along their genes.

Even though the book raises pertinent questions about whether animals can incur psychological damage from being tagged, it doesn’t answer them. To be fair, most of us won’t be able to say no to a drug, if it would save a loved one, even if one or two clauses of animal rights weren’t observed!

It was a year ago today that I embarked on the journey to finish over a dozen books. Mary Shelley’s birthday had just come and gone, making me realize that I didn’t know much about her.

I hadn’t read Frankenstein, which I remedied instantly. Neither had I known anything about the teenager who might have birthed a whole new genre. As I continued the project, I realized the hold that her literary creature still had on us. I saw the extent to which the eponymous inventor and his experiment from Mary’s book have penetrated the media.

Whether it is a movie or an offhand reference on a show, Frankenstein and his monster refuse to leave our collective imaginations.

The previous month was all about graphic novels and comics. Here is what I read in August and what I thought about it:

Monster of Frankenstein Vol. 1

As part of Project Frankenstein, this volume failed to make an impression. I was sad to see that all the stories missed the most essential characteristic present in the monster from the original work: its intelligence. This monster came off as a creature on a rampage. Even where it was shown to be clever, it was in an evil sort of a way.

Anyway, another book that I can cross off my list!

Kamala has my heart and is keeping it as far as I can see. The humor is amazing, I mean references to Dune, Spiderman’s wisecracks, and keeping things real— the comic has it all!

A Plague of Angels

I enjoyed the heck outta this book and have reviewed it in detail here.

Gotham Academy: Endgame #1 &

Annual #1

Preacher, Volumes 1, 2, & 3

Irreverrent as heck but funny and kick-you-in-the-gut sad too. If you can get past the first issue or two, then you are going to love it. If you are easily offended, this might not be the thing for you!

Raptor Red

I have already reviewed this one in detail and on Instagram; it was part of my Books&Chai series. Read my expression of Dino-Mania here.

Book Bingo

Besides this, I am also playing Book Bingo with my workmates. At the moment, I’m reading a book for the Female Protagonist shelf. My love for dinosaurs is no secret and this book is packed with facts and speculations equally, which makes it juicier. More on this in my review!

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